Where to mount a radar?

[Slowtack]

I take down my mast every winter and find the pole mount very convenient and no loss of function for practical purposes. I used an old Laser mast and 25mm diameter stainless steel tubes for bracing. The dome base is aluminium which I etch primed and aerosol sprayed. All now 3 years old and working well.

 

[johnalison]

Will a low mounted radar pick up a pop up fish farm? My radar discovered an unmarked fish farm in a haze at midday about 5-10nm offshore 30nm north of Porto.. I marked it on the plotter. It was unusual for me to have the radar on during daylight and I can not remember why it was... I think it was early in the morning. This fish farm was very wide and I was going straight for it. As it was daylight I would have seen it in time but at night the radar would have been the only way to avoid this obstruction. I have never understood why new HR's have a radar on a pole - and not their mast. It is plainly obvious higher is preferred. For a small boat under 30 foot I see a pole could be more suitable if worried about the weight.

Stop! Scandy boats like radars on pole because they unstep mast every season and store boats inside?

A pole-mounted radar may have a better chance of picking up a fish farm on account of the lack of sea clutter. I have easily picked up mooring buoys and other small targets, as well as the odd bird.

I haven't studied new HRs, since I am quite happy with my old one, but it is far from obvious that higher is preferred. HR will be responding to consumer preference in a very discriminating client base, and I think you will find that the weight consideration is relevant to boats somewhat above 30'. Almost all of us will carry extra weight aloft with furling jibs, and some with furling mains, so any additional weight is likely to be undesirable, even if not critical.

 

[dunedin]

Most modern radars don’t need a signal cable, as they can transmit the signal by WiFi. Hence only a single power connection needs to be installed for a mast mount.
I can’t see why disconnecting/ reconnecting one extra power cable makes any material difference to the effort of stepping or unstepping a mast (certainly compared to the re oval and stowing of sails, booms etc).

And before anybody says “oh I wouldn’t want radar connected by WiFi”:
* Ours has been like that for 3 year and works perfectly - and unlike wired connections, will not deteriorate slowly due to corrosion
* WiFi connection is a well proven radio based signal.
* Virtually everything else we rely on for safety and navigation is also radio based - RADAR for a start! But also VHF, AIS, GPS etc etc. To insist on wired connection for a RADAR signal would be slightly illogical.

 

[jtwebb]

I don’t think poles are great. The mast and boom will block an important area of signal. Especially bad I think is where people put it on the stern at or near the level of the boom. A huge chunk of metal right in-front of it. I’d put it on the mast near the first spreader or maybe actually on it. Pick the stbd one if you do that as that is the side you want best vision from.

I had a boat with a self tacking job so out the antenna on the starboard side of the mast. I was told by the mast maker to position it at the imaginary intersection of the shrouds as that was the least stressed point. Then just do a rough adjustment of the angle to straight ahead and refine by pointing the boat at a very obvious target.